Presidential Decree No. 907 grants civil service eligibility to college graduates with honors.
This decree aims to recognize the hard work and excellence of these students and make it easier for them to get government jobs.
Learn more by reading the full details!
What’s Inside?
About the Presidential Decree No. 907
Presidential Decree No. 907 grants civil service eligibility to college honor graduates in the Philippines. Signed by President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the decree allows students who graduate with at least cum laude honors to work in government without taking the usual exams.
If they work in their field of study, they get First Grade eligibility; if they work outside their field, they get Second Grade eligibility.
This decree aims to involve talented graduates in public service to improve community and national projects.
The Civil Service Commission will set the rules for implementing this decree, which applies to graduates from the school year 1972-1973 onward.
What Does This Law Contains?
- Purpose: This decree grants civil service eligibility to college graduates who finished their degrees with honors (cum laude or higher).
- Policy: The government aims to provide opportunities for young people, especially those who have excelled academically, to contribute to public service.
- Reasoning: The Constitution usually requires competitive exams for public service jobs to ensure merit and fitness. However, it also allows for other ways to assess qualifications. The government believes that graduating with honors in a competitive academic environment indicates a person’s ability and fitness for public service roles.
- Eligibility:
- Second Grade Civil Service Eligibility: This is for honor graduates who are taking jobs that require knowledge and skills outside their field of study.
- First Grade Civil Service Eligibility: For honor graduates taking jobs within their field of study.
- Who Qualifies: Students who graduate with at least cum laude honors from recognized schools, colleges, and universities.
- Implementation: The Civil Service Commission will create rules and regulations to enforce this decree.
- Retroactive Effect: This decree applies to honor graduates from the school year 1972-1973 onwards.
Overall Goal: The goal is to enhance the civil service by bringing in talented and proven individuals who have excelled academically, thus improving the quality of public service.
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 907
GRANTING CIVIL SERVICE ELIGIBILITY TO COLLEGE HONOR GRADUATES
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the government to afford the youth with every possible opportunity for participation and involvement in national endeavors, especially those that will lead to the improvement of communities and other public service;
WHEREAS, for purposes of employment in the public service, the Constitution prescribes competitive examinations as the principal means of determining merit and fitness but at the same time opens the door for the adoption of other methods;
WHEREAS, the government is convinced that a student who has pursued his collegiate course as a scholar and has in fact graduated with honors, has sufficiently shown that he is fit to hold a position in the public service and competent to discharge its duties and responsibilities;
WHEREAS, it is considered that graduation with honors earned under the competitive atmosphere of the academic community is as good as qualifying mark in a competitive examination to determine merit and excellence for public employment;
WHEREAS, the immediate absorption of these honor graduates in the public service will assure their participation in public affairs and bouy up the quality of the civil service;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby decree:
Section 1. Honor graduates of four-year or longer courses from schools, colleges and universities of good standing as determined by the Secretary of Education and Culture are hereby conferred appropriate civil service eligibilities, as follows:
Second Grade Civil Service Eligibility – For those who occupy positions requiring the application of knowledge and skill outside their field of study.
First Grade Civil Service Eligibility – For those who occupy positions within their respective fields of study.
Section 2. Honor graduates shall refer to those students who finish their course with at least cum laude honors.
Section 3. The Civil Service eligibility granted under this Decree shall prescribe in the manner provided under Sec. 19(9) of P.D. No. 807.
Section 4. The Civil Service Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Decree.
Section 5. This Decree shall take effect upon its approval provided that Honor graduates from the schoolyear 1972-1973 and thereafter shall likewise be conferred eligibilities under this Decree.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 11th day of March, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-six.
| (Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines |
By the President:
| (Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE Presidential Executive Assistant |
Here is a PDF version of the original text of the law for your review:
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. If you want to verify the original copy of the law, please search The Official Gazette website. For further understanding of the law, consider contacting the nearest lawyer in your area.
Conclusion
Presidential Decree No. 907, established by President Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1976, simplifies the process for college honor graduates in the Philippines to enter government jobs by granting them civil service eligibility.
This decree rewards academic excellence and aims to improve public service by bringing talented individuals into government roles without the need for the usual competitive exams. It reflects the government’s commitment to merit and excellence in public employment and supports the involvement of skilled young people in national development efforts.
Glossary of Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Afford | To provide or give an opportunity. |
| Endeavors | Efforts or attempts to achieve a goal. |
| Prescribes | Specifies or recommends something as a rule or guideline. |
| Competitive | Involving competition or striving to be better than others. |
| Merit | The quality of being particularly good or worthy. |
| Fitness | The condition of being suitable or qualified for a role. |
| Convinced | Firmly believing in the truth or accuracy of something. |
| Collegiate | Relating to college or higher education. |
| Scholar | A student who receives a scholarship for academic excellence. |
| Discharge | To perform or execute duties or responsibilities. |
| Atmosphere | The surrounding environment or influence. |
| Qualifying | Meeting the necessary requirements or conditions. |
| Immediate | Happening or done without delay. |
| Absorption | The process of taking in or incorporating. |
| Bouy up | To support or uplift. |
| Virtue | A quality considered morally good or desirable. |
| Decree | An official order issued by a legal authority. |
| Confer | To grant or bestow (a title, degree, benefit, or right). |
| Eligibility | The state of being qualified or entitled to something. |
| Promulgate | To formally declare or publish a new law or regulation. |
| Cum laude | A distinction awarded to students who graduate with honors (typically signifying high academic achievement). |
| Implement | To put into effect or action. |
Reference
- Presidential Decree No. 907. pdf | GOVPH. (1976, March 11). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/1976/03mar/19760311-PD-907-FM.pdf